Do any Christians believe in life after death, ghosts or reincarnation?

reply to post by watchtheashes



Yes, but not necessarily not the spirit of elijah, either. Imo, a meeting of political goons 1500 years ago comprising the bible doesn't constitute the true word of God.
I mean, they were pharisees.
what i'm saying is, the bible is incomplete. There are many books that were not allowed. I see the motive for the exclusion of books from the bible; create a bible that fits the pharisees model for a religion that can be used for control.

reply to post by Sundancer


My personal opinions and beliefs are
strictly my own, I am christened
roman catholic, I understand were the religion has come from,
i understand the contradictions in the bible and the contradictions
in other religions relating to their own gods, however
in my own beliefs I do believe in some type of being,
i am not sure if there is life after death
i don't think reincarnation is a possibility however have an open view
that it could be possible, I think it could be possible that
there is another life in some form after death but it is hard
to think if they really is, god promised that there is a promised land
so i have to try and keep faith and can not question him, you can
not return physically if your body has been creamated or buried for
a long time, like the above member mentioned the bible has been manipulate over many times as you know and as we all know here but we can never know the truth until we die.
To your question though:
So as a Christian,
do you believe in life after death? Yes
ghosts? yes
or reincarnation? unsure
or do you believe as the bible states
that you go to the grave until Jesus returns? No

[edit on 7-6-2009 by deathpoet69]

reply to post by heyo


Yes those books tell a very detailed story. It might support your DNA change but not in the way you would expect. Adam and Eve didn't need water or anything like that. They did not feel hot nor cold. They were innocent yes, but still where we ought to be. They were good in the sight of God. Satan ruined that in Eden with Temptation. He tried a few more times after they were banished just for the sake of tempting. They were given "normal bodies" instead of radiance and glory(. All men fall short of the glory of God.) They were cast out of a Paradise to the outside Earth where it was also cursed.

Like Jesus said:

Mark 12:25 "For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven."

So when Jesus returns in this lifetime, we will be made new in the flesh to accompany our rebirth in Spirit. We will all be like Adam and Eve, and will be on Earth in Paradise, and chosen will rule with Jesus as councils in Heaven. Jesus promised Adam and Eve that they would be with Him on the last day. Only here he was called: The Word of God.

reply to post by watchtheashes


trust me, i'm not even sure of my interpretation. Thanks for yours, it is being added tto the cyclone of thoughts/facts and hopefully soon some sort of viable conclusion can be reached within myself.

Your welcome.

Reincarnation is not a doctrine that Yeshua taught. He simply meant that John the Baptist would be the in spirit of Elijah. There is another or two others in these times that will do the same. They are mentioned in Revelation Chapter 11.

Luke 1:17

"And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

EDIT:

Rocky Mountains are beautiful. I encountered a bear and her cub out there but she didn't harm us or anything. It was quite amusing. Good refuge for the last years. Though if you got out of America it would be even safer. Say Greece?

[edit on 6/7/2009 by watchtheashes]

reply to post by heyo


Thank you very much for that link. It's confirmation that I'm going in the right direction

reply to post by watchtheashes


canadian!!!
bears are pretty common where i grew up too (salmon spawning ground in the rural interior of bc), but it sucks when you go to the dump and you can't throw your trash out withouthitting one lol. scavengers!!!
..not sure why greece would be safe?
I take most models of earth's structural integrity witha grain of salt. We're out of our league in that respect, imho. for now.

you know, this is why i converted

Christianity is just so darn confusing

link removed

[edit on 7/6/09 by masqua]

As I understand, reincarnation is the most prevalent religous belief in the world. I have pretty much believed in reincarnation for many years although I rarely mention it to anyone.

I rarely "follow the pack" on anything, prefer to look at things and make my own judgements about things. The "where there is smoke there is fire" philosophy has worked well for me over the years so I tend to follow that on many things. Too many unexplainable reincarnation stories not to be something there, and a 5 year old child in the family who asked about another distant family member she had never met, lived 1000 miles away and nobody had ever talked about around her. She knew details only someone familiar with the person would have known to mention. We were all in shock at the knowledge she had and the seriousness with which she talked about "Uncle John".

Edgar Mitchell and John Lear have also created a lot of smoke with their revelations about aliens. Some of it is so wild as to be unbelievable but when one of few men who have ever walked on the moon say its so who am I to question it?

The world gets stranger and stranger every day. If anyone told me a few years ago the U.S. would have a muslim black man as president, General Motors would go bankrupt and the Russian Prime Minister would admonish the U.S. about the dangers of socialism I would have said they needed serious psychological help. Only thing I need after writing this is to go toss back a good strong shot of straight Vodka and wait for the coming new Ice Age. Looks like hell is gonna freeze over after all, just didn't know I was living in it.

OP: Do any Christians believe in life after death, ghosts or reincarnation?

ANS: Yes. However, some believe in UFOs, Santa Clause, the Tooth Fairy, and so forth. Logically, in any group of people, there will be a few of those who believe in anything you can imagine.

Is it scriptural? Some posts before this argue for books not found in the Bible. I suggest they read "How the Bible Became A Book." That being said, if you were to include all the books written by anyone back then, you would be including the opponents of Christianity. Back then, opposing views were written and passed around to destroy the faith. The Nicean council eliminated those "viruses" from the Bible using certain criteria. They were right to do so, and even today we do not include The National Enquirer, The Globe, and World News on our list of publications contributing to historical fact.

Life after death is spiritual---i.e., ghosts. Like in Holy Ghost. The point of the resurrection of Jesus was to show He could do it and He promised to do it for us. Therefore, we will have life after death. Christians can not theologically believe in reincarnation. As for myself, I believe the evidence for reincarnation is simply demonic possession. Scripturally, "It is given unto man once to die, and then the resurrection." Reincarnation and Christianity are incompatible.

I hope this answers your questions. Great to see you are seeking the truth.
Jesus is the truth. "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me." Please continue on your path to Him. I suggest more scriptural readings.

[edit on 7-6-2009 by Jim Scott]

reply to post by AbsoluteInfinite

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. II Cor 11:3

Keep it simple. Man was given a choice to love God and obey Him. The man who was made in the image of God failed. The failure was caused by a woman, born of a virgin man, and the failure took place on a tree and in a garden. To undo this sin, a virgin woman had to give birth to a man who would obey God and put the fruit back on the tree. That man was Jesus, who was God. Only God Himself could pay for the sins of many, and by dying give them all eternal life according to His will. This was a choice made by God to love man, who did not love Him. Because of the love of God for you, you have eternal life.

That's it.

reply to post by MonoChromeWrayth



yeah i'm surpised at how others are thinking along the same lines too, even tho i haven't seen it covered in sucha way. hopefully we can all add to it.

reply to post by Jim Scott



Those are all, of course, personal assertions, and your book of how the bible came to be could just as easily be based on things we now see today as the enquirer, etc.
I've no preference, really, and it could all be nonsense or truth. fact of the matter is my only "safe" place is knowing that i don't care, and therefore, my eyes are kept open.
good luck to you too.

reply to post by heyo

Well, I suppose you have to be willing to open your eyes and learn. Jesus said "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." It sounds like He's saying that the teachings are for those who want to hear them. In your case, you don't, so I wouldn't worry about it. It's not for you. You may not be as concerned about life after death as others are. Usually, that happens at the last, when you are searching for answers on your deathbed, if you have one. The folks on Air France Flight 447, for example, didn't have more time to search out the answers. Hope they were reconciled in their minds. God will force no man to heaven.
By the way, you will be glad to know there are alcoholic beverages in heaven:
But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. Matt 26:29

[edit on 7-6-2009 by Jim Scott]

reply to post by Jim Scott


hahaha. you are too presumptuous to be taken seriously, lol. I've heard the voice of God. "faith", is what he said.
You are afraid of where the truth might lead you, therefore, you're of the devil, for God is truth.




edit: you are either a comic, or being purposefully obtuse. Reread my posts, and remember you will be judged how you judge others. We are not discussing the divinity of what's within the bible, but the divinity of what is left outside of it, and why the possibility of such divinity isn't explored by the likes of you, who are so quick to become fearful of something that doesn't come with the inherent security of things passed on via generations through your TRUE god, SECURITY IN NUMBERS AND ENVIRONMENT.

[edit on 7-6-2009 by heyo]

reply to post by heyo


Ok, now I am completely confused about what you mean or are referring to. Call me clueless, if you want. What you said makes no sense to me.

reply to post by heyo


Buen día Heyo.

I just finished reading this mornings posts along with rereading some more of Matthew. I see we had some more interesting insights and opinions added since last night. The Internet's a wonderful thing isn't it?
You've been a big help on this thread, putting thoughts and ideas from these posts together and into perspective as best we can at this point. Thanks.

reply to post by Sundancer

why would you not believe in reincarnation?

Hebrews 9.27 is the reason reincarnation isn't a Christian doctrine:

And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,

After we die, we're judged, and then that's it. We don't come back. There is no need to.

On the other hand if the biblical translation of hell is actually the word grave, and if God said you'll sleep there until Jesus returns, then I can see you believing in reincarnation.

Before Jesus came, the Jews, when they died, went to Sheol. This was the "holding place" for the dead. There were two parts, Abraham's bosom and a place of torment. When Christians die today, we're immediately with the Lord. If someone dies as a non-Christian, they go the the "hell" that the rich man went to in the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus.

The Bible says that death is a "sleep" - you will "sleep" in the grave in a state of unconsciousness, completely unaware of the passage of time or the presence of others until Christ returns to resurrect you.

Unless you're Christian, because when a Christian died, they're immediately with the Lord. Everyone else goes to the place of torment in Sheol. But, since they're "sleeping" to them, it would be just like when we go to sleep and wake up, they're not aware of the time that passes, because as I said earlier, we die, they the judgment happens.

"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words". 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

This is the rapture. The dead rising is a reference to their physical body rising from the ground, not the soul.

So as a Christian, do you believe in life after death, ghosts, or reincarnation or do you believe as the bible states that you go to the grave until Jesus returns?

Yes, all Christians believe in life after death. No, reincarnation isn't a biblical doctrine because the judgment happens after we die. I do believe in ghosts. There is a Hebrew word for it that is used. However, I believe that they are demons playing tricks on humans to lead us away from the truth.

Edit: Fixed the tags.

[edit on 6/7/2009 by octotom]

I believe that our soul rests with God until the Second Coming. I do not however believe in the lie of once saved always safe. If this is taught we do not have to teach the end of the age, and judgment becomes something after death to each individual.

This does not mean however by any means that we become knowingly aware after dying, nor does this mean that we become a figure in paradise with a halo.